2012 Top 50

2012 America’s Best DJ • Markus Schulz

Over the last 10 years Markus Schulz has fused the individual musical identities of progressive house & trance into his own creative and now inimitable hybrid sound. Through the unique alignment of his headline DJ sets, Coldharbour label output and highly prominent Global DJ Broadcast radio show, he orchestrated a sea change revolution in the US trance scene. This success has been singularly reflected in weekly headliner sets in front of many tens of thousands, a GDJB listenership up in the tens of millions & one Beatport chart-topping release after another.

2nd Place • Steve Aoki

The party starts right here. The LA-based founder of the popular Dim Mak Records has taken his music to the world—from Asia to Ibiza, and America in between. On his recent “Wonderland” album, Aoki collaborated with such international stars as Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Nervo and LMFAO. No doubt, he’ll be coming to your town soon.

3rd Place • Skrillex

Though he seemed to come out of nowhere, Skrillex (aka Sonny Moore) was EDM’s American sensation in 2011. But his “Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites” EP was everywhere. After exhaustively touring America and finding new fans from ocean to ocean, the LA-based Skrillex was nominated for Grammy Awards and took home trophies in three categories—Best Dance/Electronica Album, Best Dance Recording and Best Remixed Recording Non-Classical. For Skrillex, it’s just begun.

4th Place • Z Trip

A previous America’s Best DJ winner—he took the title in 2009—Z Trip (aka Zach Sciacca) remains one of our most-skilled turntablist/artists. He’s rocked clubs all over the world, done remixes, released 5 full-length albums, a half-dozen EPs and soundtrack music for film. Recently, he collaborated with Canadian dubstepper Datsik—additionally, he’s been serving as the tour DJ for rap legend LL Cool J.

5th Place • BT

More than a major electronic DJ/producer, Brian Transeau is an accomplished composer for games and films like the Oscar-winning “Monster” and an innovative software developer—his portable remixing app Sonifi was developed through his company, Sonik Architects. In clubland, he’s created six artist albums, including his latest These Hopeful Machines, and he remains an in-demand DJ and electronic artist.

6 | Porter Robinson

This 19-year-old talent has been touted by his peers (read Tiësto, Skrillex and Deadmau5) as one of the nu-breed saviours of electronic music, and having only experienced the limelight for just a few months, his achievements paint the picture of a super bright future.

7 | Wolfgang Gartner

“I have to make something that’s never been made before; have to make the best thing that I’ve ever done in my life – otherwise it gets stagnant or worse,” says producer/DJ Wolfgang Gartner. Whether or not his progressively more maximilist take on electro-house is your bag or not, you have to respect his exponentially steep rise through the electro-house ranks.

8 | A-Trak

From his astonishing early days as a DMC world champ by age 15 to his acclaimed DVD “Sunglasses Is A Must” to releasing 2007′s monumental Dirty South Dance mix (Obey), Montreal-born and New York-based DJ A-Trak has consistently exceeded all expectations of a traditional DJ. His greatest claims to fame are launching his own record label, Fool’s Gold Records, and touring the world non-stop as a solo artist and as Kanye West’s DJ.

9 | Diplo

Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Diplo, is a Philadelphia-based American DJ, producer, rapper, and songwriter. Together with DJ Low Budget, he runs Hooked on Hollerphonix, a club and music collective. He also founded and manages record company Mad Decent, as well as the not for profit organization Heaps Decent.

10 | Bassnectar

By combining sound and force with weight, the Bassnectar experience engulfs the senses. The experience of Bassnectar is more visceral than auditory, as the music sets any stage for an adventure without rules or limitations. On Bassnectar’s stage, there is no hesitation in fusing the familiar with the strange or the classic with the cutting edge. Bassnectar is the brainchild of Lorin Ashton, and his open-sourced musical project is as diverse as it is imaginary, as raw as it is meticulous, and as fierce as it is stunning.